In the late 1980's, the use of surgical trocars has proliferated. Trocars are puncturing devices which allow the user access to the body cavity through a relatively small circular hole. These trocars generally have a diameter of about 3 mm to about 15 mm. They are capable of puncturing the abdominal wall and passing within the body cavity. When passing into the cavity, the trocar introduces an operating cannula contained around and along a sharpened obturator tip. The obturator usually has a circular cross-section. Upon insertion of obturator and cannula into the body cavity, the obturator tip may be removed, and the cannula remains in the body cavity. By passing surgical instruments and other devices or medications into the body via the surgical trocar cannula, surgical procedures are able to take place. Thus, it can be seen that much less tissue trauma results during the use of such trocars.
To this point only the most rudimentary surgical procedures have taken place using surgical trocars. One of the more important reasons for this lack of advancement is the incompatability of current surgical staplers and present surgical trocars. Current staplers are normally far too large for use within the body cavity except in the instance of full open surgery. Heretofore, it has been difficult to configure a surgical stapler that is capable of passing through the trocar cannula and yet also capable of stapling tissue within the cavity.
Further, it has not been possible to create a stapler wherein closure takes place and staples are fired and tissue is cut. In certain instances, it may be desirable to have this happen within the same stroke of a firing mechanism.
Also, because such laparoscopic staplers must carry only a few staples due to the shortened length of the stapler cartridge, it has been found that making such staplers with reloadable cartridges, or replaceable cartridges, has also been impossible.
Furthermore, when such devices are used, it is mandatory that certain functional characteristics of surgical staples still be provided. For instance, there still must be enough support within a driving and anvil-type mechanism so that staples are securely applied and tissue healing occurs.
Without arming the surgeon with one of the more important products for usage in surgical procedures, that is, the surgical stapler, it has been difficult to accomplish other than the most basic laparoscopic procedures. It has also limited the other possibilities in which one is able to provide such instruments to surgeons, which potentially would result in less tissue or other physical trauma to the patient.